Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) encompass the right of every individual to make informed choices about their body, sexuality, and reproduction free from discrimination, coercion, or violence and are universally recognised as fundamental to personal wellbeing, public health, and sustainable development (1). The concept of SRHR was formally articulated in the Programme of Action at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, SRHRs have since been reaffirmed as fundamental human right (2). However, despite decades of global advocacy, policy efforts, and international commitments, progress toward equitable access to comprehensive SRH services remains uneven due to structural inequalities, sociopolitical resistance, and systemic underinvestment (1), particularly for adolescents, young people, and marginalised groups such as migrants and refugees. Migrant communities, in particular, experience disproportionate and persistent obstacles in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services due to various pervasive challenges like socioeconomic and language barriers, fear of deportation, discrimination, and absence of culturally responsive care (3).

Adolescents are the most vulnerable group as they transition through significant physical, emotional, and social changes with lasting implications for health (4). Many young people face increased SRHR vulnerabilities due to gender-based violence, early and forced marriage, unintended pregnancy, and limited access to essential services (1). Nearly 29% of girls aged 15-19 who are currently or previously in intimate relationships have experienced intimate partner violence. Although violence against women is deeply rooted in society, effective responses, especially preventive measures, have not been implemented widely (1). In many low-resource contexts, child marriage contributes to early motherhood and heightened susceptibility to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Yet, despite the increasing need, over half of adolescent girls in developing regions who wish to avoid pregnancy are unable to access modern contraception primarily due to legal restrictions, stigma, and provider bias. These structural and systemic barriers to contraception access reflect a broader pattern of constrained SRH rights worldwide (1, 5-7). Importantly, access to abortion is increasingly restricted not only in low-resource contexts but also in high-income countries, disproportionately affecting young, poor, and marginalized populations, and mirroring global patterns of SRH inequity (8). Even in legally permissive contexts like Australia, women particularly those from rural, migrant, and marginalized communities face significant non-legal barriers to abortion access, including high out-of-pocket costs, geographic inaccessibility, and practitioner-related obstacles, all of which continue to undermine reproductive autonomy despite legislative reforms (9). These intersecting barriers compromise adolescents’ autonomy, health outcomes, and life trajectories.

SRH vulnerabilities are further exacerbated by global patterns of migration and displacement, which intensify the exposure to instability, disrupted care, and rights violations (3). Migration now defines the global landscape, with 3.6% of the world’s population, approximately 281 million individuals, living outside their country of origin (10). Among these, 117.3 million have been forcibly displaced, including 43.4 million refugees (11). Australia has one of the highest proportions of overseas-born residents among high-income countries. As of June 2024, 31.5% of Australia’s population, equivalent to 8.6 million people, were born overseas (12). This marks the highest proportion since 1893 and underscores Australia’s sustained reliance on international migration to offset low natural population growth, fill critical labour shortages particularly in sectors like healthcare and technology and attract skilled individuals who contribute significantly to economic productivity and regional development (12, 13). Such demographic diversity underscores the need for inclusive, culturally responsive health policies, particularly in addressing SRHR for migrant and refugee populations.

Within this demographic context, growing empirical evidence underscores the persistent systemic and sociocultural barriers that compromise equity of SRHR for migrant and refugee youth (14). A recent systematic review of Australian literature identified a constellation of interrelated challenges, including limited SRHR knowledge, cultural and religious stigma, structural impediments to service access, and pervasive mistrust of healthcare systems (15). These barriers are further exacerbated by experiences of discrimination, social exclusion, and a widespread lack of culturally safe care within clinical environments. The review emphasises that these multi-level barriers intersect across individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal domains, collectively shaping the SRHR experiences, choices, and outcomes of this population (15).

In response to these entrenched challenges, there is increasing recognition of the imperative to meaningfully involve patients and the public across all stages of the healthcare and research continuum (16). This shift towards participatory approaches positions individuals with lived experience not merely as recipients of care, but as co-producers of knowledge whose insights are critical to shaping relevant, context-sensitive research agendas (17). When combined with the expertise of service providers, this collaborative model ensures that interventions are both grounded in real-world experience and aligned with systemic capacities (18). Guided by this framework, the present study sought to identify and prioritise SRH research priorities for adolescent and young adults from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australia, drawing on diverse interest-holder perspectives, including young people themselves, as well as community members, service providers, researchers, and policy influencers.